Many signs point to a surge in hiring. One of the best metrics confirming this trend is the number of U.S. job openings, which rose to their highest level ever in April (most recent figures) at 5,400,000 according to the Labor Department’s latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, which was released on Tuesday, June 9th. This was up 300,000 from the 5.1 million job openings reported in March and was the highest since they began conducting this survey in 2000.
As a result, many executive recruiters are anecdotally noticing a scarcity of key talent. For example, our technical recruiting firm has observed many clients scrambling to fill numerous R&D, scientific, engineering, IT, manufacturing and technical positions; the six areas we specialize in. Unfortunately, most employers are ill equipped to handle this major hiring expansion.
For example, U.S. builders now say they cannot find enough carpenters, electricians, plumbers and other craftsmen to handle their increase in work. This coincides with my January article and TV appearance where I made hiring predictions for 2015.
These labor shortages are forcing many companies to significantly raise compensation. Wages grew 2.3% in May from the previous year. This is the fastest wage growth since the summer of 2013. On the lower end of the wage scale, restaurants have been handing out raises. Also, legal services have posted solid wage gains. Additionally, weekly earnings were up 3.3% in commercial construction in April from a year earlier.
One tool that can help you during this recruiting surge is the 1 to 10 rating scale interview question. It will save you time and money during your technical recruiting process by allowing you to gain more information from your candidates during the interview. This will help you to more precisely pinpoint who is a better fit for your needs.
What you want to do is ask your job candidates to rate themselves on a scale of 1 to 10 on your key job attributes. This interview scale starts at 1, which means no job experience in that attribute, 5 means average job experience in that attribute and 10 means job mastery of that attribute. For example, “on a scale of 1 to 10 how strong of a Java programmer are you?”
The benefit of the 1 to 10 rating scale interview question is it forces your job candidates to more precisely identify for you what their actual job skills are. This will help to streamline your technical recruiting process. It will also help you to make better hiring decisions. So remember to employ the 1 to 10 rating scale interview question during your technical recruiting process.
Please go to https://strategicsearch.com/technical-recruiting-tips/technical-recruiting-tips.php and click on #2 below for a video explanation of this technique.
What are some tips you have to gain more information from your candidates?
